title: Co-pathological connected primary neurons in a microfluidic device for Alzheimer studies.
abstract: This communication presents a novel experimental model for Alzheimer studies, where connected primary neurons were set into subtend, co-pathological states. Cortical neurons were cultured in two separated cell compartments in a microfluidic device. A neurite network was generated in a main channel through the neurite outgrowth from both cell compartments. A gradient of okadaic acid (OA) is generated over this neurite network by perfusion. OA is a phosphatase inhibitor that induces hyperphosphorylation of Tau proteins, a major hallmark in Alzheimer disease. The local OA treatment resulted in a connected "diseased" and "healthy" cell population. Anti-phosphorylated tau (Ser262) staining confirmed different states of phosphorylated Tau proteins, and synapthophysin staining the connection of "healthy" and "diseased" cells. Here, we present a novel in vitro model that opens the possibility to study cellular and molecular propagation mechanisms in neurodegeneration, in Tauopathies (as e.g., in Alzheimer), as well as simultaneous drug effects on connected healthy and diseased cell populations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Microsystèmes LMIS4, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 17, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. anja.kunze@epfl.ch
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kunze
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meissner
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brando
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Renaud
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D019319:Okadaic Acid; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016875:tau Proteins; D019319:Okadaic Acid